Owls & Eagles  9/2/23
Psychedelic stoner band from Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Mark Russell – Vocals/Drums
Ross Ferguson – Guitars/Vocals

MM:When you first came in contact with loud music and what was your first concert?
Loud music at an early age. Mum and Dad would both blast their favorite tunes from the stereo
when I was a kid. First concert I remember was Jimmy Barnes in Nelson New Zealand when I
was maybe 12 or 13.

MM: How did you get the band name
I was trying to think of something cool to name a 2 piece band and I felt that it had to be more
than just a name. Wisdom and strength are 2 very necessary traits in this day and age and the
owl and the eagle personify these in most peoples minds, so Owls&Eagles was born.

 

MM:Why did you want to play in this genre of music
I’ve always been in metal/punk bands and I wanted to do something heavy but not too
complicated, something you can have fun playing. Mark was in the same head space so we
started writing low and slow. Psychedelic, melodic, stoner, grunge, and doom are all influences
in this project.

 

MM: Who or what inspires you to write songs? What bands have inspired you the most?
It might sound cheesy but life inspires me. Everyday sounds, a thought, a conversation, all can
inspire a tune to pop into my head. Cavalera era Sepultura and King Gizzard and the Wizard
Lizard are 2 bands that changed the way I thought about music. Sepultura for their riffs, speed,
on point timing and aggressive and provocative lyrics just blew me away as a teen and later in
life, King Gizzard and the Wizard Lizard blew my mind with their constantly shifting genres, song
structures, tunings and guitar modifying between each album, truly an amazing band and worth
checking out.

 

MM:Can you tell us about your music that you have released so far?
We recently released the first single and intro to the album Patience Vol I. Enlightenment is the
first track and the beginning of our story of a female entity’s journey of self discovery and
realization. It’s a pretty out there concept but it has been super cool seeing it develop into
something we’re really proud of.

 

MM: Which places to play were important to you and why?
Distortion was an awesome bar in Calgary that I played at a lot but that closed a few years ago.
The Rickshaw in Vancouver is a venue that all the big names have played. It was an awesome
experience, and the staff were amazing! Quadraphenia was a bar in Christchurch New Zealand
back in the 90’s and was the first bar gig I remember playing and that fact that I remember it
means its probably important lol

 

MM: What was the weirdest show you ever played and why? feel free to name more than one,
and dont withhold the details .
Weirdest show was probably during my first tour in 2016 with Citizen Rage, a hardcore punk
band Mark and I are also in. We were booked to play a venue in Edmonton AB with another
touring band from BC and when we turned up the bar had no idea they had bands booked that
night. Turns out the promoter was at another show in Calgary, hadn’t booked any local bands to
open and hadn’t done any promo. So we set up, organized a gear share and then we played 3
songs then switched with the other band to play 3, back and forth until we had played our
respective sets. The audience was the other band, the friends that said they would show up and
did plus a few looky lou’s from the street. It turned out to be a fun night

 

MM: Are there any other types of music you would like to play with a band?
Not really, I’ve played in every style of band I could want to play in. Jazz, Concert, covers, metal
punk, rock, alternative, grunge, psychedelic, lip sync, guitar hero, I’ve done it all

 

MM: What can one expect if they go to one of your concerts?
A tight 2 piece. Solid melodies and riffs with a great story. Being a 2 piece, with the drummer
doing the heavy lifting vocally, it’s tough to be visually engaging. Mark is a beast behind the kit
and his scream is so powerful, I am switching pedals and cabs fairly constantly, which people
get a kick out of , plus the story is so entertaining, it still feels like there a lot going on.

 

MM: Which festivals would you like to play at?
Wacken has always been on my bucket list, Coachella would be another. Playing the Gorge
Amphitheatre would be amazing!

 

MM: What are your plans for the future?
Release the album Patience Vol I, play some show to support it and get it out there and follow it
up with a killer Vol II!

 

MM: Thanks for the interview. Is there anything else to add?
“Don’t be a dick and you’ll be fine” words to live by.